Hot Topics:

Letters to the Editor

Don't rush to judgment

By Ralph Josephsohn

Posted:
07/26/2013 04:34:41 PM MDT

Updated:
07/26/2013 04:35:21 PM MDT

In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb. This triggered the carnage of World War I. It consumed 37 million casualties and resulted in the deaths of 10 million military personnel and 7 million civilians.

In 1933 the German Parliament was set ablaze by a young Dutch Communist (it is theorized that Nazis staged the arson), resulting in the suspension of civil liberties and the mass arrest of Communists, including all of the Communist parliamentary delegates. The National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis) became the majority party, and Adolf Hitler subsequently assumed absolute, tyrannical dictatorial power.

In August 1939, a group of concentration camp prisoners was dressed in Polish uniforms, shot and then placed just inside the German border. This ludicrous charade was a pretext to justify Germany's blitzkrieg invasion of Poland. This fomented the World War II holocaust, unleashing the deadliest atrocities of all times. WWII consumed up to 85 million lives through the methodical extermination of millions of humans deemed racially inferior or defective, massive combat casualties, and war-related disease and famine scorching all participants.

Advertisement

Events, whether or not contrived, can be exploited as a fuse igniting dangerous reactions. Has "Justice for Trayvon" become a fuse to ignite a bombshell of racial turmoil? Consider that in the U.S. an annual maelstrom of more than 30,000 firearms deaths occur. Most do not create a ripple of public attention. For some, Justice for Trayvon is not seen as an impartial adjudication under the rule of law. Justice for Trayvon required George Zimmerman be convicted and sentenced as a foregone conclusion. For those harboring this mind set, the Lady of Justice is not blind to prejudice, public clamor and political pressure. Acquittal was unacceptable, a miscarriage of justice. The verdict serves as a fuse justifying indiscriminate resentment, retaliation, violence and riot.

Our country once was indeed tarnished by the institution of slavery. A residual measure of racial bias and discrimination persists, and always will exist. This is an inexorable byproduct of our cherished legally protected free expression. The manifestation of discrimination in the system of justice, however, is not tolerated. The rule of law is buttressed by a creed that admonishes us to love our neighbors as ourselves, as to live by the Golden Rule. The rule of law is anchored in the Bill of Rights, in free elections open to all citizens, in enlightened education no longer satisfied by separate but equal schools, and most significantly, by a fair and impartial judiciary. The rule of law protects those accused of a crime from suffering the loss of life, liberty or property without the full measure of due process. This standard applies whatever the accused's race or ethnicity. In order to safeguard the dignity of every person, the scales of justice are heavily tilted in the favor of the criminally accused. Proof of guilt beyond any reasonable doubt is the state's burden. The most severe challenge to the integrity of our system of justice is avoiding the conviction of the innocent.

President Obama, who is educated as a lawyer, has publicly intervened to decry the acquittal of Trayvon Martin, sharing personal experiences suffered as an African American, as have the Rev. Al Sharpton and other leaders advocating African American rights. They should be mindful that, thanks to the same rule of law that facilitated the acquitted George Zimmerman, African Americans have been elected and appointed to the highest national, state and local offices, that many have assumed positions of economic leadership in commerce and high military rank.

If those advocating Justice for Trayvon do so with the intent that existing laws liberally authorizing the use of deadly force in self-defense be scrutinized and changed to better serve the interests of humanity, justice and safety, then Justice for Trayvon bears thoughtful consideration. If on the other hand Justice for Trayvon is being exploited as a fuse, ignited to detonate a national powder keg of racial animosity, discord and divisiveness, then we must not permit ourselves to fall into a trap that history demonstrates may lead to unintended and devastating consequences.

The issue is now before a national jury of public opinion. This jury is instructed to not rush to judgment, to fairly and rationally apply the law and evidence using common sense and experiences of life molded in a nation which under the rule of law secures liberty and justice for all.

Article Comments

We reserve the right to remove any comment that violates our ground rules, is spammy, NSFW, defamatory, rude, reckless to the community, etc.

We expect everyone to be respectful of other commenters. It's fine to have differences of opinion, but there's no need to act like a jerk.

Use your own words (don't copy and paste from elsewhere), be honest and don't pretend to be someone (or something) you're not.

Our commenting section is self-policing, so if you see a comment that violates our ground rules, flag it (mouse over to the far right of the commenter's name until you see the flag symbol and click that), then we'll review it.

Boulder is pretty good at producing rock bands, and by "rock," we mean the in-your-face, guitar-heavy, leather-clad variety — you know, the good kind. For a prime example, look no farther than BANDITS. Full Story